


watching stars without you

by mindthewolves



Series: crush [supergirl spec scripts] [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-11-05 15:19:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11016099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mindthewolves/pseuds/mindthewolves
Summary: fix-it script set after 2x13 -Lena gets a surprise visitor on her balcony, and Kara recruits Livewire to help the DEO.





	watching stars without you

EXT. EMPTY STREETS – NIGHT  
Leaves skitter across the ground, the city deserted.

EXT. CONVENIENCE STORE – NIGHT  
There’s a steady downpour, the falling rain haloed in the glow of a nearby streetlamp. A hurricane’s coming in. The last customers load up their cars with bottled water, flashlights, cans of food, etc. Overhead, the store sign flickers, and the clerk flips the OPEN sign to CLOSED.

EXT. BALCONY – NIGHT  
The balcony is empty except for a day bed and a small table beside it. On the table is a stylized white knight, its mane worn smooth and featureless. Inside, the lights are on; behind the glass, the apartment is sleek, modern – expensively appointed but in an understated way. A woman, her back turned, busies herself at the kitchen countertop. She walks toward the balcony, a glass of what looks like red wine in her hand. This is LENA LUTHOR.

She sits cross-legged on the day bed, barefoot and in sweatpants and an old T-shirt, her hair pulled back. It begins to drizzle, flecks of rain darkening the fabric of the bed. Lena sips at her wine, lost in thought. She reaches for the knight, worrying her thumb over the cold stone.

A flash of red and blue, and SUPERGIRL lands on the balcony. Lena looks up, startled.

LENA: Supergirl. I wasn’t expecting you.

SUPERGIRL (looking preoccupied): Sorry for dropping by like this. I, uh, couldn’t sleep, so I was just…flying. (crosses her arms and leans back against the railing) 

LENA: National City’s patron saint.

SUPERGIRL: I thought you might be up – I saw your light.

LENA (raises her glass in mock toast): Evil never sleeps.

SUPERGIRL (shakes her head): You’re not–

LENA: –I’m kidding. Too soon?

SUPERGIRL (laughs): Maybe. (earnest) You’re who you choose to be. This city believes in you now, and so do I. So does Kara.

LENA: I know you do. And I’m grateful. (pauses) Can I get you something to drink?

SUPERGIRL: Oh no, I don’t drink. Besides, earth alcohol doesn’t really work on me.

LENA (frowns): It’s cranberry juice.

SUPERGIRL: Oh! Um, in that case I’d love some.

 

INT. LENA’S APARTMENT  
Lena pours a glass for Supergirl, who looks out of place in this spare apartment but also strangely regal, larger-than-life. 

LENA (hands Supergirl her cranberry juice and gestures for her to sit): I never should have gone to see her. Then you wouldn’t have been dragged into this, and–

SUPERGIRL: Your mom?

LENA (nods): Yeah. I don’t– I don’t know why I keep expecting things from her, keep thinking that one day she’ll change. For years she made me feel like an outsider, and now she wants to be family. Turns out I’m a Luthor after all. Lionel Luthor’s bastard daughter.

SUPERGIRL: Don’t say that.

LENA: Why not? It’s true. 

SUPERGIRL: I only meant – you’re you. Don’t let anyone else define that for you.

LENA: You know what’s really messed up? And I know, I know he’s done terrible things, but this whole week I’ve been wishing Lex were here. I miss him like crazy.

SUPERGIRL: He’s your brother. No matter what he’s done. (pauses) I know something about finding out that your family is not everything you believed them to be. I always had this idealized concept of my parents; and it was easy, they weren’t here to disappoint me, or to ground me for missing curfew. (Lena laughs) In my memory they were perfect. But now that I’m learning more about them– They were never who I remembered them to be. But they were also just people, doing the best they could with what they believed. I can’t agree with a lot of the things they did, but I still love them. 

LENA: Yeah, but I did grow up with him. It’s strange, I keep thinking about how we used to play each other in chess all the time. I won more than he did, but it never seemed to bother him. Gracious in defeat, I guess. And even after all of it – the trial, everything – I kept asking myself, how could I have not seen this? I didn’t know him at all.

SUPERGIRL: You did know him. Granted, not all of him– maybe he didn’t want to disappoint you. Maybe he was his best self, with you.

LENA (shakes her head): How can you do what you do, and still be so– My mother just tried to kill you.

SUPERGIRL: Because I believe there’s good in people. And people can change, I have to believe that. (sets glass on the table, next to a chessboard) Thank you for the drink. I have to go.

They walk over to the balcony. As Supergirl crouches to launch herself into the air, Lena touches her arm and draws her back up. She kisses her once.

LENA (exhales): Kara.

Her fingertips linger on Supergirl’s jaw.

SUPERGIRL: I really– I have to go.

 

INT. KARA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Dim light filters in through the windowpanes. A dark shape lands on the balcony and creeps in through the open window. At the right angle, there’s just enough light to make out a face. It’s KARA.

She unbuckles the cape, letting it fall to the ground, and changes out of the rest of the superhero suit and into loose pants and a T-shirt. She pulls her hair into a ponytail and crawls under the covers but lies awake. MON-EL is next to her, asleep.

 

INT. KARA’S APARTMENT – DAY

MON-EL (waking Kara with pastries and coffee from Noonan’s): I got you these. I didn’t know what you liked, so I– I kind of got one of everything.

KARA (bleary-eyed): Hi. Thank you. (sits up in bed) 

Mon-El leans in for a kiss, and Kara pulls back slightly. He looks crestfallen.

KARA: Are those chocolate croissants? 

There’s a knock on the door and Kara panics, throwing on jeans and rearranging Mon-El, pastries, and coffee around/on the dining table. She mimes a slashing gesture across her throat.

MON-EL: –I don’t know what that means.

KARA (opening the door): Alex! I didn’t expect to see you here so early.

ALEX: I just thought we could get breakfast and catch up. I have coffee, and donuts – and oh, you already have coffee. What is Mon-El doing here?

MON-EL (waves): Oh, you know, just some early morning training. Early worm avoids the bird…or something.

ALEX: Is that the shirt you were wearing yesterday at the DEO?

MON-EL: What? No, that’s crazy. Why would it be– you know, I can see why you think that, because it’s a very similar-looking shirt. I buy a lot of them, ‘cause I’m always spilling stuff at the bar. (turns to Kara) So it was nice training with you, always. I’ll, uh, see you at the DEO. 

He leaves, and Kara sees him out, closing the door behind him.

ALEX: That was about the shoddiest lie I think I’ve ever heard.

Kara leans her head against the door and sighs.

ALEX: What’s wrong?

Kara takes a seat across from Alex, covering her face with her hands.

ALEX (slides a cup of coffee across the table): Ok, coffee first.

Kara pries off the coffee cup lid and blows on the surface of the coffee to cool it before replacing the lid.

ALEX: –So you and him, that’s a thing?

KARA (groans): I thought I was going to get to have coffee before this whole interrogation thing.

ALEX: You had a sip of it, that counts. 

KARA: I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s a thing. He spent the night, but I– (takes another sip) I really, really wanted this to work out. And it made so much sense in my head – he’s the last of his people; I’m the last Kryptonian, besides Kal. We’ve made peace with each other in a way that our people never could. In a weird way, each of us is what the other has lost. And he could be part of my life as Kara, and as Supergirl. I wouldn’t have to be careful of myself around him, be careful not to hurt him. And I think– I think that maybe, in time, we would have been good partners. Could be good partners.

ALEX: But? Oh, was it– (in a low voice) was it that bad?

KARA: No, that’s not it. I’m just not sure if he and I…fit. Like what you and Maggie have. I see how happy that’s made you. I don’t know if it’s the same, with me and him. I think I’ve ignored a lot of things about him, because I wanted so badly to make it work. (laughs) The funny thing is that I know exactly what Ms. Grant would say about him.

ALEX: Let me guess, it’s not flattering.

KARA: Not exactly, no.

ALEX: Well, you deserve that happiness. Whether it’s with him or with someone else.

KARA: Yeah, about that…

ALEX: Oh, there is someone else.

KARA (noncommittal): I couldn’t sleep, last night. I just, I kept thinking about all of this and I was going crazy, so I thought I’d fly around for a while. Clear my head, you know? I stopped a mugging and a house fire, you’d be proud–

ALEX: –I’m always proud.

KARA: –and then I dropped by Lena’s because she was awake and I wanted to talk to someone. (pauses) She always looks so guarded, you know? Kind of apart from everyone, but like she doesn’t want to be. And so we talked. And then she, uh, she kissed me.

ALEX (o.o): Which Lena?

KARA: Lena.

 

INT. DEO HEADQUARTERS

J’ONN, WINN, Mon-El, Alex, and Kara gather around the control desk along with other DEO agents.

J’ONN: You might have heard that last night’s hurricane has been upgraded to a category 4 storm. We’ve been relatively lucky in National City, but several of our surrounding cities are still without power or running water.

UNNAMED DEO AGENT: Do you think an alien was responsible?

J’ONN: There’s no reason to suspect any alien involvement; if anything, alien activity has been quieter the last couple weeks. The DEO will be just fine with a skeleton crew to hold down the fort. The rest of you, go home, be with your families. Thank you for making it in today.

Kara looks preoccupied. J’onn glances over at her; the corner of his mouth twitches in amusement but is quickly suppressed.

ALEX: What can we do to help?

Kara snaps back to attention.

J’ONN: Officially, I can’t use DEO resources towards a natural disaster, but we can help with the relief effort in other ways. There’s a lot of damage to clean up.

Mon-El approaches Kara, but stops when–

WINN (whispers): Hey. Kara. 

Winn tilts his head towards the computers and starts walking in that direction. Kara follows. 

WINN: –you know that thing you asked me to look into? Well, I found something. (pulls up a map on the computer) I wrote this algorithm to look for upticks in power consumption, like significant fluctuations that couldn’t be explained by inter-user or day-to-day variability, and I came up with this. She’s been on the move ever since you let her go.

KARA: Did she hurt anyone?

WINN: No, no, that’s the weird part. Looks like she’s been lying low. She’s still pulling a lot of power from the grid – I mean, a lot, someone’s going to get stuck with an insane electric bill – but for the last couple days it looks like she’s just been kicking around Chicago.

KARA: Maybe she has family there.

WINN (splutters): You think Livewire has family?

 

INT. ABANDONED TRAIN STATION (CHICAGO) – DAY

Supergirl ducks into the abandoned station, which is littered with broken glass and debris. It’s well-lit but has the look of a place lost in time, walls plastered with peeling ads and posters. An old newspaper blows across the ground by her feet: a photo of Superman in flight, the ink faded and the pages stale – and then it’s lost to another breeze.

SUPERGIRL: Livewire! I know you’re here.

LIVEWIRE (offscreen): Here to bring me to justice, Supergirl?

Supergirl turns in the direction of the voice.

SUPERGIRL: I’m here to ask for your help.

A crackle of electricity along the third rail of the track, towards the tunnels. It arcs upward in a shower of light and Livewire materializes, her face eerily lit by the falling sparks. Bracelets of current wind themselves across her right hand.

LIVEWIRE: Is that right. You need me to fry someone for you?

SUPERGIRL (shakes her head): No.

LIVEWIRE: Well, I’m listening.

SUPERGIRL: There was a hurricane yesterday that–

LIVEWIRE: Save it. I worked at Catco, same as you. I read the news.

SUPERGIRL: Then you know there’s still a blackout in a lot of cities.

LIVEWIRE: Let me guess. You want me to be a human battery so a pack of whiny brats can Netflix and chill?

SUPERGIRL: This is important, Leslie–

LIVEWIRE: –Livewire.

SUPERGIRL: –fine. Livewire. There are people stranded in their homes with no light and no air conditioning, food and medicine in their refrigerators going bad, hospitals running on backup generators that may or may not keep working. What about them? You could do so much good.

LIVEWIRE (laughs): You keep believing in people like that, Supergirl, and you’re going to be disappointed. Or your naiveté is going to get you killed. I’ll be watching from the front row.

She transmutes herself back into electricity, which runs along the exposed wiring along the ceiling of the station.

SUPERGIRL: Wait! What if I testify for you? You do this, and I’ll tell a court that you helped an entire city. Out of the goodness of your heart.

The electricity seems to slow and congeal, and Livewire precipitates back out of it.

LIVEWIRE: You got yourself a deal.

 

EXT. SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE NATIONAL CITY – DAY

[Montage:]

Supergirl uses her heat vision to boil away the water flooding an underpass.

Alex, in her kryptonite suit, clears away rubble from a collapsed house, freeing a man pinned beneath it.

In a dimly lit hospital wing, blue current snakes across outlets and computer screens, restoring full power to the unit.

Rows upon rows of cots line the floor of an otherwise empty stadium. JAMES directs evacuees to available cots so they can get settled; Winn and LYRA hand out water and other supplies. A few people stare, and one young child reaches out to trace the ridges on Lyra’s face, but most simply look grateful. In a separate area of the stadium, Alex and J’onn triage the wounded.

The lights flicker and go out as Alex is in the middle of a fingerstick on a patient. The stadium falls silent. A few flashlights switch on one by one, making little headway in the darkness, but before long Livewire’s characteristic electricity winds around the stadium lights, restoring power. A cheer goes up.

 

EXT. STADIUM – NIGHT

A caravan of L Corp trucks brave the deserted streets and broken traffic lights. Viewed from above, the trucks roll to a stop in front of the stadium entrance.

Supergirl lands in front of the first truck. The DRIVER gets out of the truck to speak with her. He is in his 30’s and looks vaguely military.

DRIVER: It’s nice to meet you, ma’am. Where should we unload?

SUPERGIRL: What…are you unloading?

DRIVER: We have sleeping bags, toothbrushes, toilet paper, water, food, some basic medical supplies and medications–

MAGGIE (walking up): Hey, Supergirl. (to driver) We’ve set up some tables inside; it’s just through there. (gestures toward the entrance)  
(to Supergirl again) L Corp called to ask what they could do to help, so we made them a list.

Several L Corp employees start unloading pallets of supplies, and Maggie escorts them into the stadium.

SUPERGIRL: Ms. Luthor sent all this?

DRIVER (laughs): Well, it’s her company; nothing happens without her go-ahead.

SUPERGIRL: Is she…is she here? I’d like to thank her.

DRIVER: No ma’am, but she sends her regards.

 

INT. STADIUM

A line of evacuees zigzags through the stadium, everyone waiting in line for a hot meal and other supplies. At the L Corp tables, Supergirl is part of a food assembly line, boiling ramen with her heat vision and handing the cup noodles out to each evacuee. Mon-El comes up beside her and starts pouring water into each cup for her to heat up.

MON-EL: So, you’ve been avoiding me.

SUPERGIRL (scoffs): No, I haven’t. It’s just been really busy, with the storm, and everything. (passes out another cup of ramen)

MON-EL: Kara.

SUPERGIRL: Ok, maybe I have, a little. But only because I didn’t know how to–

MON-EL: Wait. Just listen. 

He hands a cup to the last evacuee in the line and pulls Supergirl aside.

MON-EL: I saw you, this morning. And it was like…like even though you were right here, you were miles away. And I couldn’t figure out why, but maybe I don’t need to know.

SUPERGIRL (shakes her head): Mon-El, I–

MON-EL: Hey. You don’t need to make me feel better. You told me that once, remember?

SUPERGIRL: Yeah. I remember.

MON-EL (smiles): God, your eyes really are that blue, even in this crappy light. (fiddles with a cup noodle package) So, uh, I went to the aquarium the other day. Trying to do more human things, you know. And there was this thing in the tank – I think it was a seal – but it was a really small tank, and I thought, does it know that this is all its life is going to be? These walls and these fake rocks and the fake wallpaper on the glass. And I didn’t think I had ever seen something so sad. But then this morning you looked– I mean, not that you look like a seal – but you looked like that seal, you looked trapped. Like you wanted to say something but couldn’t. And I could never be the cause of that, in you.

Supergirl watches him walk away, her expression unreadable.

 

INT. STADIUM

Supergirl sits on the concrete stairs leading up to the stands. She’s alone, away from the bustle of the main area of the stadium. Across from her, at the bottom of the steps, a dozen L Corp pallets sit half-unpacked. Alex passes through the corridor and sees Kara sitting there.

ALEX: Hey, I was just looking for you. (holds up two cup noodle packages)

She sits down next to Kara, who smiles and rests her head on Alex’s shoulder. Alex tears open both packages and raids a couple of water bottles from one of the pallets. She pours the water and hands the noodles over to Kara to heat up, which she does without comment. Alex hands her a pair of chopsticks and they eat in easy silence.

ALEX: How’d you get Livewire to help us? That was her, wasn’t it? I thought I saw her at the top of the stadium.

KARA: I promised I’d help her out in court. After I catch her again. I know it’s hard to see sometimes, but there’s good in her.

ALEX: You think that about everyone.

KARA: Uh, because it’s true. You’re just mad because I was right.

ALEX: Speaking of… L Corp was very generous today.

KARA: They were.

ALEX: I’ve been thinking about what you said. How you’re afraid you’ll hurt someone close to you if they don’t have powers like you. But you should be with the person who makes you happy, regardless of whether or not they’re bulletproof or they can stop a speeding train. You should have that option, Kara. And whether that person is Lena Luthor or someone else–

KARA (laughs): Why does everyone always first name-last name her?

ALEX: I don’t know. Maybe it’s because that’s what the media calls her, so that’s how I knew her before I ever met her in person. Plus, she’s kind of too…glamorous for only one name. (pauses) Anyway. I made you something–

Alex pulls a small tin from her pocket and hands it to Kara. She opens it, and pulls out a thin bracelet of braided string. One end is a loop; the other has been knotted into a net, with a small green stone caught inside it.

ALEX: –in case you ever want that option. You can wear it when you’re not saving the world. 

KARA: Where did you get this?

ALEX: I chipped off a piece from my exo-suit. The box is armored, so it won’t interfere with your powers when you’re not wearing it.

KARA: Wait till the rest of the DEO finds out that Alex Danvers does macrame.

ALEX: I wouldn’t call it macrame, no.

KARA: Oh, it definitely counts. I remember when you used to make these when we were kids!

ALEX: You used to bug me to make them in like twenty different colors. It was annoying.

Kara puts her arm around Alex’s shoulders.

KARA: Thank you.

ALEX: Yeah. Now spill.

Kara laughs.

 

EXT. HOSPITAL SIDEWALK – NIGHT

SUPERGIRL: Livewire? I wanted to thank you, for coming with me. 

A nearby emergency call box surges with electricity, and Livewire appears.

SUPERGIRL: I mean it. You made a difference for so many people.

LIVEWIRE: Just as long as you don’t forget our deal, Supergirl.

SUPERGIRL: I won’t. But I’m still coming after you once all this is over.

LIVEWIRE: Wouldn’t miss it for the world. (current sparks over her hands) You getting rusty, Supergirl? Or are you getting soft on me? All these weeks I’ve been free, and I haven’t seen you and your ridiculous cape anywhere.

SUPERGIRL (smiles): I’ll see you around, Livewire.

 

INT. LENA LUTHOR’S OFFICE – NIGHT

Kara paces in Lena’s empty office. There’s shuffling in the corridor, and Kara lowers her glasses to X-ray the hall. 

ASSISTANT (offscreen): Oh, and that reporter’s waiting for you in your office, Ms. Luthor.

The door opens. Lena and her assistant are framed in the doorway.

LENA (to assistant): Thank you.

Lena walks in. She watches to make sure the door closes behind her, then leans back against her desk, facing Kara. There’s half the room between them.

KARA: I wanted to thank you – you and your company, for everything you did. It meant a lot to those people.

LENA: It was the least I could do. (pauses) Kara. I want to tell you…how sorry I am about the other night. It was uncalled for, and I–

KARA: No.

LENA: …no?

KARA: You just– you took me by surprise, and I reacted badly. (pauses) Don’t be sorry.

Kara closes the distance between them and kisses her. Lena kisses her back, one hand on Kara’s waist under her cream-colored coat.

LENA (breathless): My place or yours?

She says it in classic Lena Luthor style, teasing but one remove away, so that if the answer is no she can always say she was only joking. But Kara says–

KARA: Yours.

–and the arch smile disappears, her eyes serious now. She runs her thumb across Kara’s lips, and this time the kiss is soft, a promise.

 

INT. ALIEN BAR – NIGHT

J’onn, James, Alex, and Maggie crowd around the pool table. Alex pulls off three consecutive shots, sinking the eight ball on the last shot. The others cheer; Maggie pulls her in for a kiss, and James forks over his losing bet. Behind them, Lyra has succeeded in drinking Winn under the table.

 

INT. LENA’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

Lena, propped up on one elbow, tucks a few stray strands of hair behind Kara’s ear. Half-asleep, Kara smiles but doesn’t open her eyes. She puts her hand on Lena’s, holding it in place against her neck as Lena draws her in for another kiss. There is a bracelet on Lena’s left wrist, green stone on a white cord. Through the window, the moon is full, and the stars give off their steady light.

**Author's Note:**

> leave comments, I soak them up like rain & they're the only way I know if a fic's working or not. I live for ao3 pings =]
> 
> closed for prompts right now, but pls send coffee & asks & fic recs @ mindthewolves.tumblr.com


End file.
